The mission: set a 275-foot prefabricated steel bridge in three pieces over a busy highway in one day - before 6:00 p.m. Mission accomplished with a double pick by a team of cranes from the ALL Erection & Crane Rental Family of Companies along with general contractor Kenmore Construction Co.

The three parts of the new "bike and hike" Cascade Locks Bikeway bridge over SR 59 in Akron, Ohio, were set by two Grove all-terrain cranes: a 240-ton GMK 5240 and a 250-ton GMK 5250-L. Some expert engineering and lift planning, along with ALL's expert crane operators, provided the perfect balance of efficiency and cost effectiveness. Using two cranes instead of one bigger crane allowed subtle side-to-side adjustments that saved time and effort.

The bridge consists of two 44-ft-long, 44,000-lb sections and one 180-ft, 225,000-lb center section. The GMK 5240 lifted the first 44-ft section into place onto a concrete pier. Both cranes in sync set the 180-ft middle span, and then the GMK 5250-L lifted the second 44-ft section at the other side.

ALL supplied the two cranes for the day and also provided heavy hauling of the two 44-ft sections from Kenmore's yard to the job site.

The Bikeway, scheduled to open in August 2008, connects downtown Akron to the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail, the major trail through Cuyahoga Valley National Park along the historic canal route.